May 03, 2022
Climate rate to help Tāmaki with rising sea threat
Auckland mayor Phil Goff says modelling that sea levels are rising twice as fast as previously thought means action is needed now.
The NZ SeaRise report predicts there could be a rise of as much as 30 centimetres over the next two decades, which would cause widespread flooding through Tāmaki Makaurau and damage infrastructure and homes.
Auckland Council proposes a special climate change rate that will raise $574 million over 10 years at the cost of about $58 a year on the average urban residential property.
Mayor Goff says it’s a bit like an earthquake levy.
“We have an earthquake levy because you never know when an earthquake is going to hit and when it hits you don’t say ‘sorry guys, it’s on you, you pay for your own costs.’ The insurance companies, as we get sea-level rise, are just going to refuse to indemnify, to insure properties, and that means we are going to have properties that are worth a fraction of their current value. I think we’re going to have a collective response,” he says.
Mayor Goff says long after we have forgotten what covid was, we will still be faced with climate change.